Bush, who rates sartorial lapses only slightly below pagers and cell phones going off during his speeches, was being sarcastic. He really didn't think the loose tie was fine.

"It's not as bad as a beeper violation. But it's getting close," Bush said.

Bush recently hosted South Korean President Roh Moo-hyn in the Oval Office, where he was visibly annoyed by the nonchalance of visiting South Korean newsmen.

Members of the White House press corps understand that, as a rule, touching the furniture in the Oval Office is strictly forbidden. Even when Bush brings a group of journalists in for an informal chat, he does not invite them to sit.

So it was with unconcealed consternation that Bush sat through a brief question and answer session with the South Korean president, while two sound engineers from the South Korean press corps sprawled on a couch to get a good position for the remarks.

The generally loquacious Bush delivered his comments in short, abrupt sentences with a tone of impatience.

So profound was his air of injury that at one point, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, standing against a wall, stepped forward to peer at the offending sound technicians.

Still, Bush's fastidiousness does know some geographic boundaries: Standards are eased when he is at his Crawford ranch. Taking questions after a meeting with Rumsfeld at his Texas retreat, Bush once mocked a reporter for arriving over-dressed.

"Don't worry about the suit here on the ranch," Bush said.

Actually, Dean has won a few times

While Bush grapples with the limitations of being a lame duck president, Vice President Dick Cheney seems to find the situation liberating.

Out of the bunker and with no upcoming presidential race to worry about, Cheney has been popping off with a fresh sort of candor. Most recently, he went after Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

"I've never been able to understand his appeal. Maybe his mother loved him, but I've never met anybody who does. He's never won anything, as best I can tell," Cheney said in an interview on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes.

In fact, Dean has won nine elections, including five for governor of Vermont.

Bush acknowledges most loyal supporters

Bush's polls may look dismal and a majority of Americans may not like his policies, but there is one constituency that will always love him: Barney and Miss Beazley.

The president and first lady took a break from freedom, democracy and Social Security last week to discuss their charismatic Scottish terriers with NBC's Al Roker.

"Barney is like, kind of like the son I never had," Bush said.

The president told Roker that his dog knows a lot about policy, describing the elder terrier as "a wonk."

Short takes

•Cheney last week presided over the
Gerald R. Ford
journalism awards at the
National Press Club
.
No fan of the Fourth Estate, Cheney said he did it as a favor to Ford, and then stayed for questions, offering lengthy responses on Guantanamo Bay, the war in Iraq and other topics.

Brevity seized him, however, when Cheney was asked how the administration defines excellence in journalism.